Offshore rigs

An offshore rig is a large structure on or in water with facilities to drill wells, to

extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can
be brought to shore for refining and marketing. In many cases, the platform
contains facilities to house the workforce as well. Offshore rigs are similar to land
rigs but with several additional features to adapt them to the marine environment.

Those features include

Heliport

Living quarters

Cranes

Risers

The heliport, also known as the helipad, is a large deck area that is placed high and
to the side of offshore rigs. It is an important feature since helicopters are often the
primary means of transportation. The living quarters usually comprise bedrooms, a
dining hall, a recreation room, office space, and an infirmary. Escape boats are
usually located near the living quarters. Cranes are used to move equipment and
material from work boats onto the rig and to shift the loads around on the rig. Most
rigs have more than one crane to ensure that all areas are accessible. A riser is used
to extend the wellhead from the mudline to the surface. On platforms and jackup
rigs, the blowout preventers (BOPs) are mounted above sea level. On floaters, the
BOPs are mounted on the seafloor.

The various types of offshore rigs include barges, submersibles, platforms,

jackups, and floaters (the latter of which include semisubmersibles and drill ships).

Barges

A barge rig is designed to work in shallow water (less than 20 ft deep). The rig is
floated to the drillsite, and the lower hull is sunk to rest on the sea bottom. The
large surface area of the lower hull keeps the rig from sinking into the soft mud
and provides a stable drilling platform.
Submersibles

A submersible rig is a barge that is designed to work in deeper water (to 50 ft

deep). It has extensions that allow it to raise its upper hull above the water level.

Platforms

Platforms use a jacket (a steel tubular framework anchored to the ocean bottom) to
support the surface production equipment, living quarters, and drilling rig (Figure
1). Multiple directional wells are drilled from the platform by using a rig with a
movable substructure. The rig is positioned over preset wellheads by jacking
across on skid beams. After all the wells are drilled, the rig and quarters are
removed from the platform. Smaller platforms use a jackup rig to drill the wells.

Jackups

Jackups are similar to platforms except that the support legs are not permanently
attached to the seafloor (Figure 2). The weight of the rig is sufficient to keep it on
location. The rig's legs can be jacked down to drill and jacked up to move to a new
location. When under tow, a flotation hull buoys the jackup. The derrick is
cantilevered over the rear to fit over preset risers if necessary.

Floaters

Offshore rigs that are not attached to or resting on the ocean bottom are called
floaters. These rigs can drill in water depths deeper than jackups or platforms can.
They have several special features to facilitate this:

They are held on location by anchors or dynamic positioning.

The drill string and riser are isolated from wave motion by motion compensators.

The wellheads and BOPs are on the ocean bottom and are connected to the rig by a
riser to allow circulation of drilling mud.

There are two categories of floaters: semisubmersibles and drill ships.

Semisubmersibles

Semisubmersibles (also called semis) are usually anchored in place (Figure 3).
Although a few semis are self-propelled, most require towing. Because floaters are
subject to wave motion, their drilling apparatus is located in the center where wave
motion is minimal. Semis are flooded to a drilling draft where the lower pontoons
are below the active wave base, thereby stabilizing the motion.

Drill ships

The drilling apparatus on a drill ship is mounted in the center of the ship over a
moon pool, which is a reinforced hole in the bottom of the ship through which the
drill string is raised and lowered (Figure 4). The ship can be turned into the
oncoming wind or currents for better stability, and it can operate in water too deep
for anchors.

Figure 1 Fixed production platforms.

 Figure 2 Jackup rigs.

Figure 3 Semisubmersible rigs, (a) Pontoon type

semisubmersible. (b)
Twin hull semisubmersible
Figure 4 Dynamic positioning drill ship.